After spending two hours at the site between 5pm and 7pm, we set back to Mwamba and organized for a hike in the forest to all the wetlands. We managed this easily because we could pinpoint the pools from the Google maps. On a rainy Tuesday morning we set out in the forest again, this time without Ngala, to visit all the pools and assess the potential of them being breeding/roosting  sites for the Clarke’s Weavers. Out of the ten we planned to visit, we managed to trace eight and out of the eight, three were perfect for Clarke’s Weaver habitation. We had to stop after the eighth pool because the remaining two were three kilometres apart and it was totally rainy and windy.

Ngala and I are looking forward to visiting these three potential wetlands during morning and evening hours and spend some time monitoring any Weavers come in or fly out. We are certain that even if we don’t see them this year, we will see them next year during the breeding season between March and April. It is a puzzle to us still because we haven’t seen their nests but we won’t tire in monitoring them until we see them nest in some of these wetlands.

Well, we have the roost site unravelled around the forest for the first time since starting  our ten-year search. What’s next? leave it for us and follow us on this blog and you will definitely be the first to get the information. Your support either financially or through reading and recommending this post to other conservationists gives me the spirit of motivation to keep pushing with Ngala until we bring sufficient information about this threatened bird species.

Now, it’s time to wind up with this weird and wonderful!!!

On 8th of March we set out early to a transect in the forest in an area that has been thought to be one of those areas bordering the tensely populated community around. We chose this area randomly as always and when we arrived at the place, we even encountered some men emerging from the forest with machetes. There was little that we could do as we have no authority whatsoever to arrest anyone. We were determined to cover about 5km into the forest using active human paths. We encountered several small trees cut for poles at the beginning and as we moved further deep, we began encountering the heavy stumps that were freshly cut. I could not believe my eyes seeing such huge trees that are home to birds, tree squirrels and even beautiful snakes having been heavily logged. As usual, we did take the GPS points and moved on to other areas. There were decreased number of animal species and less often, we could hear Greenbuls calling and at one point we came across two Crested Quineafowls. It was hot and we were very sweaty and thirsty. Unfortunately, none of us had carried a bottle of water-Ngala does it the camel style-taking a lot of water before the starting the survey,  and for me, I was just lazy to carry a bottle of water because it would become just another burden so hard to bear later on.

It is awful to realize that our forest is being heavily logged and the action being taken is not being fully implemented. Although environmental education has been incorporated, most people have been adamant to practice conservation. A Rocha Kenya is playing its role through creation of awareness through the ASSETS program which targets the surrounding community near Arabuko Sokoke forest by providing bursaries to students around it in order to ease the burden from parents who have to poach into the forest in order to raise school fees.The good news is that some of the forest trees that have been cut down in the past are now regenerating and we saw quite a number.

On our way back, we came across a huge baobab tree, perhaps a few decades old and we were tempted to measure the circumference and try to calculate its diameter. It was about 8.4m in circumference which gave us about 2.7m in diameter. Such a tree grown to a height of about 30m, that’s HUGE!!!  Indeed, the forest has massive resources.

As always, we are determined to use the little resources we have to bring this to you and create awareness through our surveys to the people around the forest and around the world. We apologize for the poor quality of the pictures as they were taken using a phone.

You can also send in your donations through the Donate option on top right. Thanks very much for your support as you have just saved the habitat for an animal in Arabuko Sokoke forest.We also give our thanks for the support we are getting from our sponsors-both corporate and individual as this will propel us to the next level and help conserve the  resources in this forest.

one of the butterfly species at the forest

The Kipepeo project based in Gede aims at linking conservation of Arabuko-Sokoke forest and livelihoods development of surrounding rural communities. Arabuko-Sokoke forest has a unique biodiversity which presents a good habitat for butterfly farming. Farmers living adjacent to the forest are allowed in the forest to collect butterfly species of which they can breed in their butterfly farm houses and the pupae is packed and sold abroad in Japan, Europe and USA in exhibitions.

The Kipepeo project is an initiative that sort to support the conservation of the forest through the sustainable utilization of butterfly biodiversity to benefit the local communities. It also seeks to diversify coastal tourism through exhibit of live butterflies. This project has been a key step in conserving Arabuko-Sokoke forest by providing an alternative income source to local communities while at the same time, the locals seeing the value of the forest and conserving it.

The project benefits over 100,000 people in 50 villages around Arabuko-Sokoke. They have now organized themselves into 27 community groups. Kipepeo runs an attractive butterfly house at its centre in Gede Ruins. For more information on this project please visit www.kipepeo.org or contact kipepeo@africaonline.co.ke

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Dreaming of a holiday by the beach, take a minute to find out how the different ecosystems connect. Ecosystems are interrelated and do not exist on their own, just like a lion needs an antelope for food and to survive is the same way we need each other to enhance sustainable development.

The beach at Watamu – Mida creek.

The Arabuko-Sokoke ecotourism circuit aims at exploring the beauty beyond the beach…… this combines various entitles such as the forest and Mida creek which are ecologically connected and together form the UNESCO biosphere reserve. The circuit is engaged is connecting different conservation and community groups working and living in the area to benefit directly from the eco-tourism activities of the circuit

Tree platform inthe forest, run by a community group.

View point in the forest.

community groups – mangrove planting.

This eventually leads to the areas being conserved. The biggest threat to the forest and Mida creek is exploitation and unsustainable use by local communities in the tourism industry. By supporting the eco-tourism activities and groups that promote conservation and sustaible use of natural resources, you are helping local people earn a living that is directly linked to conserving the natural environment and sharing it with you.

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Entrance to Gede museum where the exhibition is ongoing.

Various community groups have united in order to make their products in large quantities. Women, disabled people and church groups are among the various community groups that have come together to display their items. Creativity is also a big factor in utilizing the waste products and materials to come up with new products that are friendly to the environment.

The following are some items on display and sell at the Gede museum, if you are in town you can stop by and have a look at them and perhaps purchase some.

Trays made from Bamboo.

Bags made from recycled sisal and beads.

Bead work from bones and beads

Candles from honey wax

Footwear from beads and recycled rubber.

Cards made from recycled paper.

Photo frmes made from recycled paper.

Door mats made from recycled video tape.